Toba’s Tomorrow: Moving Towards a Bright Future

Toba’s Ama culture has recently been recognized on the “Japan Heritage List” by the Agency of Cultural Affairs.
And there is even a movement that wants to see it recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by Unesco.

But it’s not all good news for Ama culture, which is sometimes called a dying culture as there are fewer and fewer female divers each year with an ever-aging population and fewer young women who are ready to stay in rural Japan to learn an often perilous profession.

Global warming, and the connected warming ocean, and rising sea levels are another thread to Toba’s culture. These changes lead to an imbalance that causes dying seaweed forests which in turn create a shortage in food sources for many of the creatures populating Ise Bay.

But Toba is facing these challenges head-on, with ongoing research by leading universities trying to find solutions for these problems while preserving traditions.